This invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for monitoring a plurality of flow meters and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an apparatus and method for computing the average flow rates and total flows, or volumes, for individual flow meters and the sums of these rates and totals for a plurality of flow meters.
In the oil and gas industry flow meters are used at a well site to monitor flows of fluid. Frequently, several flow meters must be used simultaneously. For example, several flow meters are needed to detect and measure several flows of fluids used in water flood or CO.sub.2 procedures of secondary or tertiary recovery operations.
It is, of course, known that electronic equipment can be used to monitor signals generated by flow meters and to compute the instantaneous or the average flow rates represented by the signals. However, we are unaware of any microcomputer-controlled apparatus or method for continually monitoring a plurality of flow meters at a well site and providing displays of the average flow rate of each flow meter and of the sum of the average flow rates of all the monitored flow meters and of the total volumes measured for each individual flow meter and for all of the flow meters, while also retaining, without the use of a reserve electrical power supply, such information for long periods of time after power interruptions or outages occur. Because of the large number of flow meters which may be used at a well site and the possibilities for power interruptions or outages at the well site, there is the need for such an apparatus and method to quickly apprise the well site personnel of the current and historical status of each flow meter and the collection of flow meters and to retain such information for subsequent use by the well site personnel after power is restored.